8 Top Project Management Plugins for WordPress

When it comes to managing projects, WordPress can step up to the plate as quickly as it does with managing content. Rarely is there just one solution for any problem with WordPress, and that’s certainly true of project management. From completely free to several hundred dollars, there is a project management solution compatible with WordPress for any budget and scale.

With the above in mind, we have gathered eight top project management plugins in this post. Check them all out below to find the one that suits your unique needs!

1. WP Project Manager

Let’s start with a basic free plugin, developed by WebDevs. WP Project Manager does have a premium version that you can upgrade to for a few extra dollars. There is a one-site option and then a 5-site business suite. The free version supports unlimited sites but the functionality is very basic. If you want the premium version with unlimited site support, it will cost you $199.

For managing projects within your WordPress system, WP Project Manager allows you to move your management functions in-house as opposed to having to log in to an external site multiple times a day. Here are the basic features:

Easily add projects to manage from inside WordPress

Collaborate with team members based on their user levels

Get an overview of your project list with a Calendar function

You control user roles, assigning managers, co-workers, and clients

Assign creators and limit project visibility

See current project statuses

Track milestones

Archive completed projects

See all files associated with a single project in one place

That’s a lot of functionality, but most of those features are only available with the upgrade versions.

2. Project Panorama

Project Panorama is a simple project management plug-in with a free version, an individual site upgrade, and an unlimited site upgrade. Considerably less expensive than WP Project Manager, even the free the version allows you to do a little more. You can assign start and finish dates, embed projects into your WordPress theme, define milestones, and discuss your projects with pertinent parties. The upgrades allow you to assign phases, upload and store documents, protect projects with passwords, and set security protocols.

3. TaskFreak

TaskFreak is a standalone project management application with a WordPress component. It’s easy to use with the ability to distinguish between public and private projects. You can also add attachments and comments to your tasks. Another advantage offered by TaskFreak is the ability to use it with smartphones and tablets, and you can integrate it easily with your WordPress themes. You also have the ability to manage user roles.

4. Freelancer

If you want something more than a basic project management plug-in, then Freelancer should suffice, especially if you want something that will allow you to manage your clients as well as their projects. This is the perfect plug-in for freelancers who want an attractive design and a project dashboard.

Adding tasks is as simple as typing a note. You can also filter your tasks and search for tasks, plus the plug-in has a handy-dandy drag and drop reordering feature.

You can attach files, set the integrated task timer, and update project statuses based on due dates. The really nifty feature is the client details page, which allows you to get a view of your clients and their projects along with invoices and other useful information. This feature turns your project management plug-in into a CRM solution, as well. Your e-mails benefit from customization and an awesome HTML template. Not bad for a free plug-in.

5. Roo Projects

Roo Projects is simple and easy to use. For $20, you can keep track of your projects, your clients, all of your tasks, and even upcoming events. Developed by Code Canyon, it’s very streamlined and isn’t quite as sophisticated as some of the other plug-ins.

6. CollabPress

CollabPress is more than a project management plug-in. It’s a collaboration tool that integrates with BuddyPress. You can manage unlimited projects and tasks, upload files on each project, notify other users by e-mail when tasks are updated and commented upon, and get an overview of your projects in calendar view. CollabPress uses your built WordPress user accounts, and it supports shortcodes.

7. Smarty Pants Client Project & Document Manager

Smarty Pants is a robust project management plug-in with many great features. Developers divide the features into administrator features and client features then pile premium features on top of those.

As an administrator, you have complete control over user access. You can upload files to each client and project page and get an overview of the last 50 client uploads. You can also add staff, suppliers, vendors, subcontractors, and partners.

Users at all levels can create projects according to your permission parameters. Clients can upload multiple files, delete files, and search for files by name. They also have the ability to rename files.

Premium features include:

Tag search

Category management

Custom notifications

File auto delete

Build your own form fields

Advanced shortcodes

User-created groups

Thumbnail views

Prices range from $75 to $575 for lifetime support, but you can get a 30-day free trial.

8. Orbis

Orbis is a WordPress framework with project management functions. With a nice, sensible dashboard, Orbis turns WordPress into a complete business tool based on your needs.

You can add projects easily and tie them to specific companies. You can also manage individual persons and connect them to companies and projects. If that wasn’t enough, you can use Orbis to add a company intranet and add posts and pages to your intranet. Orbis isn’t just one plug-in. There is a separate plug-in for each set of functions you want to add to your framework. The four basic Orbis plug-ins are:

Orbis Tasks (free)

Orbis Timesheets ($65.52) – Get a visual on the time your team spends on each project.

Orbis Keychains ($67.12) – Keep your passwords safe in this one business tool.

More than just a plug-in, Orbis is a free framework that you can integrate into your WordPress environment and increase your functionality by adding plug-ins on top of it. It even comes with a variety of themes.

From basic free plug-ins to frameworks extendable by plug-in add-ons, you can use WordPress to manage all of your projects, clients, vendors, and suppliers. The best project management plug-ins are easily integrated into any theme or environment. It would be right to see them as an extension of your business.

If you want to share your experience using any of these project management plugins, please feel free to do so in the comments section below.